Speak No Evil (2024)

Speak No Evil is a thriller about a family terrorized by another family that invited them over for the weekend.

James Watkins' take on a thriller with political undertones has an odd balance. I would have put the film back in the editorial oven for another fifteen minutes. Regarding shots, they were 'interesting' and could have been a lot worse. He has learned more since The Woman in Black, but not too much.

The writing makes you hate the villain played by the stellar James McAvoy but even more so the unheroic father. Scoot McNairy nails the weak, pathetic, and unsympathetic husband. He's even more beta having a wife played by the beautiful and former Terminator heroine, Mackenzie Davis. She's also a full two inches taller than him so it even further cements that she wears the pants in the relationship, but the dialogue has her playing the supportive wife.

Despite its writing flaws, Davis and McAvoy really put in work to make the film worthwhile to watch. Result: B+

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Roma (2018)

Roma is about the life of an upper-class family living in Mexico seen through the eyes of a servant in the 1970s. Written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón . Cuarón was born in Mexico and has even said that this film depicts a lot of his childhood. It certainly has a feel like Y Tu Mama Tambien. More average moviegoers might recognize his name from the movie Gravity where he won his first Oscar. He also did the underappreciated Children of Men. The cast is mostly unknowns. The main character is named Cleo and is played by Yalitza Aparicio . She is wonderful and stoic. She is reserved in her emotions to make them more impactful when they do rise to the surface. Her character has to put up with a lot of shit, literally. Her life goes from bad to worse throughout the movie. At the end of the movie, you'll be attached to this maid. The first part is hard to watch because it's just setting up future moments. At the time it just feels like you're watching a ...

Smile 2 (2024)

Smile 2 is the sequel to the 2022 horror film where a demon terrorizes you for seven days after you witness a brutal death. Parker Finn is back to write and direct the film because of how well it did at the box office. These movies are cheap to make but I think this time around word of mouth won't put butts into seats. The formula is there and he does well to direct the film but the lack of scares really hurt the film for horror fans who will be disappointed. Naomi Scott plays the main character Skye, but you might not recognize her since she looks so different than she did when she played Jasmine in the Disney live-action adaptation of Aladdin . She was better in Power Rangers to be fair. Her acting has improved drastically since those two though. The film suffers from poor writing. It shows all the scary bits in the trailer and lingers on scenes that horror fans don't really pay to see. Also, there is a ton of product placement. Result: B-

It Lives Inside (2023)

It Lives Inside is a low-budget horror film about a demonic Indian spirit. Written and directed by Bishal Dutta for a modern audience. I imagine he draws upon personal experiences for a film like this. I'm not talking about the demonic part but perhaps fitting into the US education system. There were some progressive talking points that seemed wedged into the film, the main character even talks about homogeneous cultures at one point with her teacher. There were some good empathetic scenes once the introductions were over, especially about going against your mother's wishes to go to a party with someone she wouldn't approve of. Megan Suri plays the main character Sam. She's infatuated with Russ played by Gage Marsh . He's probably best known for being in Batwoman the TV show. You might remember Megan from a movie called Missing. She does a pretty good job here since she's given a lot to work with. Dutta has some good horror moments for her to work with whi...

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